Zetsu
}} Zetsu is a clone of the original Zetsu fromed from a physically and spiritually joined Black Zetsu and White Zetsu clone. Through the years since he split off from the original Black Zetsu, he eventually assimilated a White zetsu and gained its abilities as it waited for the returned of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. While waiting for her return, he rose to power alongside Black Zetsu (GD), having chose to specifically deal with the powerful forces of the shinobi resistance himself. Background Zetsu is essentially Black Zetsu and White Zetsu fused together into one being. Black Zetsu was created by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki shortly before she was sealed as the Ten-Tails by her sons, Hagoromo and Hamura. When Hagoromo later named his youngest son, Asura Ōtsutsuki, as the new leader of ninshū, Black Zetsu tempted his eldest son, Indra Ōtsutsuki, to go to war with his younger brother. It decided that Indra's descendants, the Uchiha clan, would be the main cast of the shinobi history it was creating, and modified Hagoromo's tablet to claim that the Infinite Tsukuyomi would be the Uchiha's salvation, among other things. Over the centuries, it manipulated the two brothers' reincarnations in an attempt to get one to awaken the Rinnegan, and recorded many events for Kaguya, including Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju's last fight in the Valley of the End. When Madara had seemingly created White Zetsu and the others, it was actually Black Zetsu pulling the transformed humans from Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi out of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. When Madara was on the verge of death, he believed he had created Black Zetsu by imbuing his will into half of White Zetsu, and that the Zetsu was partially his clone. Zetsu later accompanied Obito Uchiha to Amegakure to locate Nagato, who had unknowingly been given Madara's Rinnegan as a child, and watched as Obito introduced himself as Madara Uchiha. Personality Compared to White Zetsu, Black Zetsu, nicknamed "Wicked Tongue" (毒舌, Dokuzetsu),3 is more serious and knowledgeable. In the Japanese version of the manga, Black Zetsu only uses katakana for okurigana and furigana. This is often conveyed in the anime through a deeper voice. While it and White Zetsu sometimes had differing opinions, the two halves were still able to function as a single entity. Black Zetsu had the skill of appearing extremely trustworthy, obedient and loyal, being entrusted with Akatsuki's secrets and knowledge of Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan. In actuality, however, its true loyalties were kept secret from nearly everyone, including Madara himself. Unlike White Zetsu, who was kind to his allies, Black Zetsu expresses its belief of anyone beneath Madara as useless. When Obito lost the tailed beasts, Black Zetsu commented on how it was a more effective servant to Madara. It also had no qualms about using Obito's dying body as a host when it fought Kakashi Hatake and Minato Namikaze, showing how little it cared about the Uchiha's welfare, while deriding Obito for being useless for his treason. However, Black Zetsu's loyalties do not truly extend to Madara either, having feigned being created by the man in order to manipulate him discreetly, and then harshly betrayed him and expressed to him how he was really no different from Obito. Black 57Zetsu even refers to Hagoromo's ideals of ninshū as absurd and his original text on the stone tablet as garbage. Zetsu's main role within Akatsuki was to function as a spy, with other duties that were similar to those of a hunter-nin. It was able to control its body and take part in the tailed beast sealing ritual simultaneously, which, in addition to being unique to it, allowed it to act as a lookout while the sealing took place. When an agent of Akatsuki, or possibly even a member, died, Zetsu was sent to devour their bodies so as to not have their secrets revealed, further adding to its nature as a half-plant creature. Zetsu was also the one sent to retrieve the rings of dead Akatsuki members. Due to the role it played, Zetsu was the only member of Akatsuki to act without a partner on a regular basis. It operated on its own, often moving between the different locations where the other Akatsuki members were located. This resulted in other members reporting directly to it, rather than the figurehead leader, Pain. Zetsu would in turn report directly to Pain as well as Obito, the organization's benefactor and eventual leader. Zetsu is generally harsh and critical of nearly everyone it comes across, with the exception of its creator, Kaguya. Referring to itself as her son, it shows a deep reverence and devotion to her and is willing to go to any lengths to please her. It even goes as far as to encourage others to sympathise with her predicament following her sealing. Zetsu's determination to aid the one it calls mother runs so deep that it spent countless years influencing the shinobi world in order to facilitate her revival, even claiming that the history of shinobi exists only to bring her back. Believing itself to be the progenitor of the shinobi history, Black Zetsu thinks very highly of itself, and grew angry at Naruto for even daring to touch it, believing him to be unworthy to do so. Interestingly, when it first referred to itself as Kaguya's child, Zetsu's tone and demeanor was noted by Sasuke Uchiha to have changed. It appears in the end, Black Zetsu's true loyalties reach only to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, a person it claims to be the will of, and whom it affectionately refers to as "mother" (母さん, kaa-san). Appearance After it merged with the deformed right half of White Zetsu, the two Zetsu were easily distinguished by the Venus flytrap-like extensions that emerged from their sides, enveloping their head and upper body as a shell, which they were able to open and close. Beneath these extensions, Black Zetsu had short green hair, originally coming from White Zetsu. Under their Akatsuki cloak, they wore blue pants and sandals, and had both legs wrapped in bandages, which hid the area where the black mass on their right leg merged with White Zetsu's white foot. White, screw-like dots protruded out along the edges and collar of Black Zetsu. Black Zetsu wore the duo's green Akatsuki ring, which bore the kanji for "sign of the boar" (亥, gai), on its right little finger. In the anime, Zetsu's fingernails were painted pink and their toenails, as seen in their début, were blue. Abilities Fitting its parasitic nature, Black Zetsu has shown many abilities that ultimately aided it in deceiving and manipulating others for centuries, all while remaining hidden and anonymous. Though Black Zetsu was described as not being a "front line fighter", it retains many skills that make it valuable support in battle. With the powers at its disposal and tactical capabilities in combination with Kaguya's, the two were able to easily fend off both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, despite the two being aided by their respective enhancements and help from their allies. Zetsu's Unique Body Being a product of Kaguya's will, Black Zetsu itself is also able to manifest its will to gain influence over others, either by subtly manipulating their thoughts or forcefully manipulating their bodies by attaching himself to them. He was able to render Madara, as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, completely powerless to resist his influence by impaling him. Black Zetsu, over time, has used this ability to stay hidden while manipulating many of Asura and Indra's reincarnations, including Indra himself. By attaching itself to others, Black Zetsu is able to control the target's body and use their abilities as its own if they are in a weakened state. Black Zetsu melding with somebody also has the effect of sustaining their life, allowing them to temporarily survive such things as using a sacrificial technique or having a tailed beast extracted from them. However, should the target regain control of their body, they can prevent Black Zetsu from detaching itself, thus using this trait against it. Used throughout the centuries, Black Zetsu is able record the events it observes, as well as show these "recordings" to others by merging with them. Ninjutsu In addition to functioning as a single entity with Black Zetsu by communicating through thoughts, White Zetsu was able to split his body in two, allowing them to act independently. While separated, the two halves could extend roots underground to communicate with each other over long distances. He was able to create and remotely communicate with near-identical clones of himself, which could absorb a person's chakra. With his Spore Technique, White Zetsu was able to plant these clones on the bodies of others in the form of spores, which were undetectable even to Sensor type and Kage-level shinobi. Once activated, these spores would grow into a white mass which surrounded the individuals they formed on and absorb their chakra while restricting their movements. The clones could also use this stolen chakra to replenish an ally's chakra supply by attaching themselves to him or her. Obito had White Zetsu attach several of these spores to Sasuke Uchiha in order to monitor and even assist him when necessary. Zetsu is capable of using a unique technique that allows him to shift his location to another location in an instant, as well as be in multiple places at once, an ability refered to as Quantum Movement. It's prominent Body Flicker-like Hiden technique that's unique to the village of Yoshigakure. He obtained use of the technique from assimilating the shinobi he gained Explosion Release from. Using it, it can even be used to travel to other dimensions. Earth Grudge Fear Having been attached to Kakazu in past times, Zetsu went on to acquire the info to Kakazu's Earth Grudge Fear technique, and eventually used it on himself. Inthis state, Zetsu has a form of immortality, and is capable of a variety of feats. MORE INFO SOON Iwagakure's Kinjutsu Having been attacked to Deidara before, Zetsu gained info on Iwagakure's Kinjutsu and used it on himself. In this state, Zetsu doesn't have a mouth on his hands, and can instead, uses his own superior Explosive Release chakra to mold it directly into various forms from greater use Deidara's signature technique. In recent times, Zetsu has employed a combination of Earth Grudge Fear and Iwagakure's Kinjutsu in his own clones for greater effectiveness and an ultimate surprise the remaining shinobi rebels will never see coming... Substitution Technique White Zetsu claimed to have the best Transformation Technique and was able to freely alter his form and chakra signature. Doing so allowed him to become or create a completely indistinguishable substitute of another individual, even becoming suited with the their tools. By manipulating the nature of his chakra, he was also able to emulate techniques of which is known to him. Because White Zetsu was typically weaker than the one he was imitating he mainly used this technique through his clones to serve as decoys or for infiltration and assassination. Even after suffering tremendous damage, or even death, the technique would not cancel until he chose to release it. Despite, himself, not being suited for prolonged battle, White Zetsu showed considerable skill in emulating the personalities and battle tactics of his target. It was because of this characteristic that the entire Allied Shinobi Forces was forced to be in constant paranoia and sometimes turned on one another. Though with keen analysis, one could exploit his lack of knowledge on certain subjects. Those who could sense negative emotions could also take advantage of his true intentions. Nature Transformation White Zetsu was capable of utilising all five basic nature transformations along with Yin and Yang Release. Because he was tethered to the flowering tree grown from Hashirama Senju's DNA, White Zetsu's genetic material and chakra was identical to that of the latter's. Like Hashirama, he was able to use Wood Release, albeit on a much weaker scale. Zetsu's signature technique was Mayfly, which allowed him to merge with the ground to quickly travel to a new location, though not as quickly as Obito's space–time travelling. This technique was ideal for Zetsu's function as a spy, as it erased his presence and prevented him from being sensed. Sensory Preception Black Zetsu has proven itself to be a very skilled sensor, and was able to sense Naruto Uzumaki and Killer B as soon as they escaped the Self-Repairing Barrier surrounding the Island Turtle, despite being many kilometres away. Throughout the many centuries, Black Zetsu has been able to distinguish between distinct chakra signatures, being able to locate Asura and Indra's reincarnations. Nature Transformation Zetsu was capable of utilising all five basic nature transformations along with Yin and Yang Release. Because he was tethered to the flowering tree grown from Hashirama Senju's DNA, Zetsu's white half's genetic material and chakra was identical to that of the latter's. Like Hashirama, he was able to use Wood Release, albeit on a much weaker scale, thought over time, he gained mastery over it, potentially putting it on par with Hashiramas. Zetsu's signature technique was Mayfly, which allowed him to merge with the ground to quickly travel to a new location, though not as quickly as Obito's space–time travelling.Chapter 396, page 7 This technique was ideal for Zetsu's function as a spy, as it erased his presence and prevented him from being sensed. Jinchūriki Transformations Kekkei Genkai Wood Release While possessing White Zetsu's body mass, Black Zetsu had access to Hashirama Senju's cellular material, allowing it to utilise Hashirama's Wood Release, albeit on a much weaker scale. Black Zetsu accomplished this by transforming its white body mass and plant-like extensions into roots during battle. While Black Zetsu was attached to White Zetsu, their signature technique was Mayfly, which allowed them to merge with the ground to quickly travel to a new location, though not as quickly as Obito's space–time travelling. This technique was ideal for Zetsu's function as a spy, as it erased their presence and prevented them from being sensed. In addition to functioning as a single entity by communicating through their thoughts, Zetsu's two halves were able to split apart, allowing them to act independently. While separated, the two halves could extend roots underground to communicate with each other over long distances Explosion Release Having assimilated a shinobi that once utilized Explosion Release, Zetsu has direct access to the Kekkei Genkai. Using it wisely in battle, Zetsu is able to create powerful blast using sheer punches, and can even fire powerful beams capable of wiping out cities in one use. As of late, he has developed a unique chakra mode utilizing explosion chakra, as well as a technique capable of wiping out targets on the nano scale level. Intelligence Influencing and manipulating many prominent and deceptive individuals throughout history including Indra, Madara Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, Nagato, Kabuto Yakushi, and a countless amount of others, Black Zetsu proved itself to be a highly deceptive and cunning individual. In order to further its plan to revive its creator, Kaguya, Black Zetsu has influenced many events to secretly manipulate those most useful to it. With the goal of manifesting a Rinnegan in one of its pawns, Black Zetsu even orchestrated the Uchiha and Senju clan's extensive rivalry. In order to set the Eye of the Moon Plan in motion, Black Zetsu rewrote Hagoromo's stone tablet so that Madara would find it and become an unknowing pawn. To further gain Madara's trust, Black Zetsu also tricked him into thinking that it was an extension of the former's will, feigning undying loyalty. Additionally, orchestrating Akatsuki's goal to capture the tailed beasts and Kabuto's alliance with Obito, Black Zetsu claimed that the entire Fourth Shinobi World War went all according to its design. In fact, it believes that because it had such a substantial influence over the events that have taken place throughout the history of shinobi, all of it is essentially his tale of reviving Kaguya. Having lived for centuries, Black Zetsu has amassed more information about the shinobi world than almost any other individual. In battle and alongside its creator, Kaguya, Black Zetsu has shown to be an adept tactician who can analyse its opponents and suggest appropriate countermeasures to their tactics, which Kaguya complies with and carries out. While attached to her severed arm, Black Zetsu was able to inventively use her All-Killing Ash Bones and its ability to create rifts in space, in unison, in an attempt to intercept Naruto and Sasuke's attempt to seal the former. Other Skills Being a mutated human, Zetsu was able to survive without food or water and did not need to carry out normal human bodily functions. He could, however, quickly devour another individual completely, as he was normally tasked to dispose of dead Akatsuki members or allies that way. Doing so also serves to supplement its own chakra reserves. Being almost entirely composed with the cells of Hashirama Senju, Zetsu had the capacity to heal nearly any wound, even without the use of hand seals. It's because of this that White Zetsu was able aid his companions by grafting his body parts unto them, should they lose any major portion of their anatomy. Those aided in this way are also gifted Zetsu's healing capabilities. Despite having neither the Rinnegan nor the Sharingan, at the time, Black Zetsu was able to read and rewrite the text on the stone tablet. In its original form, it has shown the ability to phase and travel through its surroundings. Should the need arise, Black Zetsu is capable of telepathically communicating with other individuals. Zetsu is also able to absorb and distribute chakra through physical contact. Through unknown means, Zetsu was able to manipulate the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and release the White Zetsu trapped within it. Fitting its malleable physiology, Black Zetsu has shown the ability to alter its form and shape, being able to form itself into a humanoid shape or stretch to great lengths. Additionally, Black Zetsu has proven strong enough to harm and impale Madara Uchiha, despite his durability being greatly enhanced as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. As an artificial human created from the manifested will of Kaguya, Zetsu is ageless and biologically immortal, and lived for about 1,000 years. It also does not require any sustenance intake, surviving without the needs of food or water and even survived when being bisected by Chōjūrō.